Pastry for a One-Crust Tart

This pastry is short, buttery, and wonderfully easy to put together. I make it in the food processor, for the less it is touched by warm hands, the shorter and flakier it will be. Be sure to let the pastry rest at least one hour at room temperature, so it is easy to roll out, then chill it before baking.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Large pinch sea salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut in small pieces

5 to 6 tablespoons chilled water

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Preparation

Place the flour and the salt in the bowl of a food processor and process to mix. Cut the butter in chunks and add it to the flour. Process it, using pulses, until the butter is incorporated into the flour and the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. With the food processor running, add the water and process briefly, using pulses, just until the pastry beings to hold together in large clumps. Turn the pastry out onto a floured work surface and gather it into a ball. Proceed with any recipe calling for an un-baked tart pastry.

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Recent Reviews

I doubled this recipe since I made two caramelized onion, goat cheese and sausage tarts. As others have noted, the liquid needs to be decided upon on a case by case basis. I added some cider vinegar to the water because this was a savory tart. If I were making a dessert tart I would have added two tablespoons of sugar and not used vinegar. All in all, this is a perfect template for tart and pie crusts.

jmcinerny from Washington, DC /

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Epicurious, please double check this recipe. I'm pretty sure this is halved from a two crust recipe and they didn't halve the amount of water. It is wa-a-a-a-y too much. Usually for this amount of water the recommendation is for 2-3 tablespoons and then carefully add more if needed.

QueenCeleste from New York /

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This is a good enough recipe- in fact it is pretty much what I used for years after original Crisco was found to be a serious dietary no-no. However, to make a traditional, flaky American style pie crust it should be made with half Crisco (the modern variety is expensive, but non-deadly)or lard. I've never measured liquid in pie crusts, but this does sound like an awful lot-at any rate it should be added a little at a time. I'm not sure why people insist on using food processors for pastry dough- it's perfectly easy by hand, doesn't require washing a food processor, and gives better control of the results. Traditional European tart pastry is an entirely different thing, more cookie like. It generally has more shortening (fat), about 1/2 the volume of the flour, usually all butter. The butter is cut in more finely, and often it is bound with eggs. Additions such as sugar are also common.

oldunc /

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This is a perfectly good pastry recipe. I agree with the other reviewers that one must be mindful when adding the water, not overwork and chill. I don't have a food processor, so I cut the shortening in with a knife.

A Cook from Calgary, Canada /

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Quiche is pretty hard to mess up. I used this recipe as a guide, but made modifications based on what I had. I used half & half instead of cream & milk. I made a few different fillings right in the shells, and then poured the custard over each. I, too, used wheat flour b/c it was all my friends had at their house. Your dough will shrink away from the pan b/c it has so much more gluten than AP flour. I just rolled out the dough and flopped it into brownie pans. I prebaked the shells, and although they shrank back, I poured the custard over the whole thing & once it baked & set, no one was the wiser. If you use non-stick brownie pans, the slices come right out. A great solution for too many eggs; sudden guests; no time to cook.